MIT Technology Review - brain damagehttp://www.technologyreview.com/tagged/brain-damage/
enEEG Detects Signs of Awareness in Vegetative Patientshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/426092/eeg-detects-signs-of-awareness-in-vegetative-patients/
<p>Researchers develop a simple way to test whether patients who appear unresponsive truly are.</p><p>Three brain injury patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state—meaning they do not respond to their environment—may actually be conscious. Using EEG (electroencephalography) to measure their brain activity, researchers found that the patients could follow simple commands.</p>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:42:00 +0000digitalservices426092 at http://www.technologyreview.comImaging Method Reveals Hidden Brain Injurieshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/424226/imaging-method-reveals-hidden-brain-injuries/
<p>The brains of soldiers who have been exposed to blasts show tissue damage up to a year later.</p><p>A sophisticated imaging technique has revealed signs of brain injury in soldiers injured in explosions. The injuries, which don’t show up with standard imaging techniques, may help explain why some soldiers suffer long-term problems after such injuries.</p>Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices424226 at http://www.technologyreview.comImages of a Hard-Hitting Diseasehttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/424039/images-of-a-hard-hitting-disease/
<p>Advanced imaging techniques could help diagnose the degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma.</p><p><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/26425/">It is estimated</a> that football players can receive as many as 1,500 hits to the head in one season. Not every blow results in immediate injury, but a growing body of research suggests that repetitive hits can lead to serious, long-term brain damage. More than 20 NFL players have so far been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease, after their deaths.</p>Thu, 19 May 2011 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices424039 at http://www.technologyreview.comA New Era of Football?http://www.technologyreview.com/view/417400/a-new-era-of-football/
<p>Emphasis on preventing long-term brain injury has league executives changing policies.</p>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000digitalservices417400 at http://www.technologyreview.comStem-Cell Repair Kit for Strokehttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/412441/stem-cell-repair-kit-for-stroke/
<p>A stem-cell matrix can repair brain damage in rodents.</p><p>A novel matrix of neural stem cells and a biodegradable polymer can quickly repair brain damage from stroke in rats. Within just seven days of injecting the concoction directly into the damaged part of the brain, new nerve tissue grew to fill stroke-induced cavities. </p>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices412441 at http://www.technologyreview.comModeling Brain Blastshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/411248/modeling-brain-blasts/
<p>A computer simulation reveals how blast waves reverberate around a soldier’s helmet.</p><p>Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often called the signature injury of the war in Iraq. Medical experts have <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/20571/" target="_blank">yet to determine exactly what causes the condition</a>, but the violent waves of air pressure emitted by an improvised explosive device (IED) or a rocket-propelled grenade are most likely to blame. These pressure waves travel close to the speed of sound and can rattle the brain’s soft tissue, causing permanent, yet invisible, damage. In an effort to better understand how the waves shake soldiers’ brains, researchers at the <a href="http://www.nrl.navy.mil/" target="_blank">Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)</a>, in Washington, DC, developed a computer simulation that models the motion of a propagating blast wave using data gathered from laboratory experiments with sensor-studded mannequins.</p>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +0000digitalservices411248 at http://www.technologyreview.comVeterans in Needhttp://www.technologyreview.com/notebook/409950/veterans-in-need/
<p>Brain-injury survivors in the U.S. military need far better care.</p><p>Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is all too common on battlefields where blasts from improvised explosive devices pose a constant danger <em>(see “<a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/20571/" target="_blank">Brain Trauma in Iraq</a>”)</em>. Today, U.S. troops do not have adequate resources for TBI prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, or treatment. But fortunately, things are beginning to improve.</p>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices409950 at http://www.technologyreview.comBrain Trauma in Iraqhttp://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/409938/brain-trauma-in-iraq/
<p>Thousands of U.S. soldiers have survived powerful explosions in Iraq. Many are returning home with brain injuries that could result in long-term disabilities.</p><p><em>In honor of Veterans Day, </em>TR<em> is highlighting a piece on blast-related brain trauma in Iraq, which originally ran in the May 2008 issue. The piece interweaves the stories of two National Guard sergeants who withstood separate blasts while fighting in Iraq in 2004 and the scientists racing to understand the often invisible wounds that resulted. </em></p>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices409938 at http://www.technologyreview.comEyedrops that Probe the Brainhttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/409850/eyedrops-that-probe-the-brain/
<p>Gene probes deployed in eyedrops show brain damage in MRIs of mice.</p><p>By dosing mice with eyedrops containing gene probes that then travel to the brain, Harvard researchers are using magnetic resonance imaging to observe the brains of living animals. The method could allow doctors to directly diagnose problems such as tumors, viral infections, and head injury, without the need for a brain biopsy. It could also be useful in monitoring patients and perhaps even targeting drug treatment to affected areas of the brain.</p>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices409850 at http://www.technologyreview.comSaving Memorieshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/408975/saving-memories/
<p>Stem-cell transplants improve memory in brain-injured mice.</p><p>Using a clever new technique, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have shown that stem-cell transplants may improve memory after brain injury, at least in mice. Their work adds to growing evidence that stem cells might eventually help combat the devastating memory loss associated with traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke.</p>Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices408975 at http://www.technologyreview.com